When it comes to the El Camino Real of Woodland Hills and Granada Hills girls’ tennis rivalry, there are few things — aside from their desire to defeat rival Taft of Woodland Hills — that Samantha Jacobs and Alexandra Tallas can agree upon.

But one of them is they couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else.

“(Granada Hills coach Simon Robertshaw) said that if we combined Granada and El Camino, we’d have an amazing team,” Tallas said. “But I couldn’t see myself at El Camino and Sam couldn’t see herself at Granada. It just wouldn’t be the same.”

Longtime friends and USTA tournament doubles partners outside of their West Valley League rivalry, Jacobs and Tallas, a junior, are two of the City’s elite players.

Jacobs, a senior, is the defending singles champion and Tallas is a co-captain — along with senior Leeann Hsueh — for the Highlanders, the reigning team champions.

But their biggest victory this year has been the ability to inspire their teammates following offseason personnel changes that depleted two of the section’s most talented lineups.

ECR was affected the most as sophomore Anna Khrustaleva, who teamed with Minda Le last season to reach the City doubles final, decided to enroll this year at Taft, taking advantage of the section’s one-time transfer rule following a student-athlete’s freshman year that doesn’t force them to sit out a year of varsity competition.

According to Le, the move was family-motivated, although Khrustaleva wouldn’t comment on the transfer during an Oct. 7 match against Granada Hills.

Although she’s still attending Granada Hills, sophomore Cassandra Fisbeck decided not to play high school tennis this season. In addition, both teams have had to overcome the loss of players to academic ineligibility.

It’s an issue neither Jacobs or Tallas enjoy addressing, but a theme that has become all too common this year in local high school girls’ tennis.

“When we practice or play in tournaments, we talk about being loyal. We talk about what it means to play for our school and how much we look forward to when Granada plays El Camino,” Tallas said. “I’m motivated to do well for my team, but I also want to be able to compete against Sam and (Taft’s Yuliya Maystruk) and take them down. Sam and I hug before the match, but then we put the friendship aside.”

After leading ECR to last year’s City semifinals — losing 4-3 to runner-up Carson — Jacobs believed the Conquistadores, with Khrustaleva in the lineup, had the personnel this season to challenge for the team championship.

“We worked on trying to get the team together to form that bond because last year, we were all really close and I think that’s why we did so well,” Jacobs said. “We had one of the best seasons we’ve had and with (Anna) we felt like we could win City. We felt bad for (coach Marvin Jones) because this is one of his last years and he wasn’t prepared for that. It changed our whole lineup.”

The tension was clear Monday when Khrustaleva returned to ECR for the first time. After teaming with Khrustaleva last season en route to reaching the doubles final — including a semifinal victory over Taft’s Jordan Hutkin and Joanna Sterngold — Le didn’t know how to react as she stared across the net at her former partner.

“It was very awkward. I couldn’t imagine her being my opponent because we went to the finals together. There was a lot of emotion,” Le said. “It doesn’t mean I can’t play well with Denise and Amy (Tu), it was just very different. But I’m just trying to keep a positive attitude toward it.”

Tallas has had to remain positive for different reasons, sidelined with a back injury for the first month of the season. Since Granada Hills’ scheduled showdown Wednesday with ECR was rained out and postponed until Oct. 22, Tallas could be eligible to return to the Highlanders’ lineup should she be cleared today by her doctor.

“Even though Alexandra isn’t playing, I still see her out there cheering for her sister (Analyssa) and her family is out there supporting the team,” Jacobs said. “It’s not just about winning, it’s about being there for your team.

“Sure, I’d like to repeat, but I want us to win City as a team. I have high expectations for the girls and I know we can still win matches. We have to show other teams we’re just as capable of winning as Taft or Granada Hills.”

Despite losing to Jacobs last year in the City singles semifinals, it didn’t spoil Tallas’ celebration after Granada Hills captured its first team championship since 2004.

“Yes, I want to win a singles title, but winning the team championship last year felt so much better because we did it together,” Tallas said. “When I was a freshman, the team welcomed me with open arms and I fell in love with the team. They’ve made me a better person. There’s a family aspect here and being a captain, I want that to continue. When we win championships, it’s because we do it as a team.”

A philosophy, despite the rivalry, that Jacobs and Tallas have no problem agreeing upon.